Thirty per cent of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion

The latest Australian survey shows one-in-four women (26%) will experience an unplanned pregnancy and 30% will choose abortion.

The 2015 survey published in the November Medical Journal of Australia shows 41.4% of women were using contraception at the time, with 64% opting for the oral contraceptive pill and 27% using condoms.

More than half unintended pregnancies occurred in the 25-34 age group.

Teen pregnancies accounted for 12% of unintended pregnancies.

Other research has indicated higher contraceptive use (up to 60%) among women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, higher overall abortion rates of around 33%, and a higher overall percentage of women having an unintended pregnancy (up to one-in-two).

The latest survey also shows fewer unintended pregnancies among women 20-24 compared with the latest abortion statistics from Western Australia and South Australia showing 21%-29% among this age group.

Researchers involved in the latest national survey interviewed more than 2000 women who had experienced an unintended pregnancy in the past decade.